If I'd Only Known Then What I Know Now

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a presentation given by Wendy Newman that inspired every attendee. The talk was titled "10 Things I Wish They'd Told Me" and provided valuable tips to new librarians:

1) You will experience tension between your role as an employee and your role as a professional
-see The Ethics of Choice by David Thomas

2) Immerse yourself in the values of librarianship
-see Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st century by Michael Gorman

3) In your first 3 years on the job, become an expert in at least one area

4) You (not your employer) are in control of your morale
-assert yourself by reading, asking, sticking to decisions, and hanging out with positive people
-see Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun by Wess Roberts, PhD

5) Present yourself professionally
-dress seriously to be taken seriously
-master public speaking
-write concisely, proofread your work, never send an insulting email

6) Treat all jobs with respect
-part time and temporary jobs allow you to gain experience and learn valuable skills
-always work for/hire people who are smarter than you

7) Association work has a lot to offer; attend conferences and volunteer where you can

8) The higher you go in an organization, the greater the ambiguity
-you need to thrive on ambiguity and risk

9) Become a skilled advocate

10) Know when it's time to throw in the towel
-make an EXIT plan
- inform your employer if you're considering another offer

Does anyone else have some additional tips for new librarians?

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What's in a name?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the “librarian” job title and how it impacts how we are perceived by faculty and students. I’ll say right away that my personal point of view is that we should do away with the title, since nobody except librarians knows what a librarian does. We all realize that many people (including people in the university community) think that the extent of our capabilities involves buying books and putting these books on shelves. Many academic librarians hope to become more involved in the curriculum and integrated into the teaching and learning process, but faculty and students generally don’t see us in this light. Just yesterday, I met with a key player at my institution (a highly educated person in a top leadership role) who was stunned to discover that if she is doing research on a topic and would like help finding information, she can ask a librarian (“really? librarians can help with that??”).

The librarian “image problem” has been discussed to death in literature and at conferences and is always accompanied by a discussion of what we can do to improve our image. Well, my sense is that the image people have of "librarians" isn’t going to change. I feel (and have felt this way since entering the profession) that we should be using titles that the people we are trying to work with and support (i.e. students and faculty) can understand and relate to, such as research specialist, curriculum support specialist, etc. If we believe we have a more significant role to play in teaching, learning and research, why cling to a title that so many of our users and academic colleagues associate with clerical tasks?

I’ll illustrate my point with an example. We recently did a series of focus groups. One of the sets of questions involved asking students who they would go to for research help. Not one student spontaneously mentioned librarians. When the moderator asked directly “would you consider asking a librarian for help with your information research?” all students said “no” and it became clear that none of the them considered librarians to have the necessary level of expertise to actually help them with the research process...it didn’t even occur to them. When the moderator asked “would you consider asking a research specialist for help with your information research?” the students replied “oh, well yeah, if there were such people on campus, that would be helpful”. Personally, when I meet with students I identify myself as a research specialist, not as a librarian…and they get what I can do for them.

I know that this is controversial, that some people would even be upset by this proposition, and that it has been discussed at great length in various forums, but I am interested in how both new and long term professionals feel about this. I think this is something both library administrators and new professionals are going to have to think more about.

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University of Alberta Libraries - Academic Library Internship Positions 2007/2008

Academic Library Internship Positions 2007/2008

The University of Alberta Libraries invites applications from recent library school graduates interested in pursuing a career in academic libraries. The internship appointment is for a one-year or a two-year term.

Qualified applicants must:

· have graduated from an accredited Canadian library school program in 2006 or 2007.

· commit to a one or two year contract appointment in the University of Alberta Libraries

The internships are intended to:

· provide experience to recent graduates interested in exploring a career in academic libraries

· provide an opportunity to discover the multitude of opportunities within an academic library setting

· create mentoring and networking opportunities for recent graduates as well as provide for professional development and training

It is anticipated that the successful candidates will assume a variety of assignments appropriate for an introductory appointment. Assignments will include reference and collections work and instructional opportunities. These assignments could be system-wide or located in any library unit or department, depending upon system needs and the skills, abilities and interests of the successful candidates. In 2007/08, one of the internships may be designated for the Camrose (Augustana) campus of the University of Alberta Libraries, another for the Bibliothèque at the Campus St-Jean (a French language faculty). Interest in these sites should be clearly indicated in the letter of application. Those interested in the Bibliothèque St-Jean must be capable of working in both French and English

The successful candidates will possess an enthusiastic service attitude, excellent communication skills and the ability to adapt to change and a variety of clients. All candidates will also possess superior information management skills.

Completed application packages must be received no later than April 27, 2007 to be considered for a July 1, 2007 appointment. Appointment will be at the Librarian 1 level with a current salary of $46,858 (under negotiation).

Information concerning the application procedure is located at:

http://www.library.ualberta.ca/employment/intern/


For more information contact:

Kathleen De Long

Associate Director (Finance and Human Resources)

University of Alberta Libraries

kathleen.delong@ualberta.ca

(780) 492-7675

(780) 492-8302 (fax)


To contact our 2005/06 interns see:

http://www.library.ualberta.ca/aboutus/interns/index.cfm

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Library theory and practice

This post is inspired by the recent rants from the anonymous "Annoyed Librarian" and the Feliciter article ("Bright Ideas, Hard Work and Thick Skin: Engaging in Scholarly Activity as a New Librarian" by Melanie Boyd and Pascal Lupien) about the ideal of research and the realities of work in academic librarianship. Currently, I am writing a thesis as part of my MLIS. It involves original research and I hope to one day turn it into my first non-student journal publication. I am enjoying the process and looking forward to continued opportunities for research as a professional. I must admit, however, that I afraid that I might not get the opportunity to continue my research in the "real" world due to lack of time and support from my library.

Although Melanie's and Pascal's article touched on this, I would like to hear other people's experiences with balancing work responsibilities with scholarly responsibilities.

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